Matzo

For this recipe you will need 3 mini-muffin pans, each containing twelve 1 3/4- by 1-inch cups. Resist the temptation to make the bites in batches because the potato mixture will discolor.

Active time: 30 min Start to finish: 30 min

Active time: 50 min Start to finish: 4 hr A wonderful welcome to spring, this butter- and oil-free torte gains its richness from pecans. If you want to keep the cake pareve, or if you intend to serve it several times, leave it unfrosted.

Active time: 45 min Start to finish: 4 1/2 hr

Boxes of matzo farfel, very small pieces of matzo (about 1/4 inch wide), turn up in markets around Passover. Farfel is usually used in soups or for stuffing. This brittle can be eaten as candy or sprinkled over ice cream.

If you can't find matzo cake meal, grind batches of regular matzo meal in a clean electric coffee/spice grinder until it has the consistency of flour.

The cake has an appealing, somewhat coarse texture; drizzled with a honey-lemon syrup, the dessert is reminiscent of baklava. Both matzo meal and the more finely ground matzo cake meal are used here.

The secret to these macaroons' texture is the Italian meringue, composed of egg whites and a boiling sugar syrup. When baking these for Passover, dust the sheets with matzo cake meal; you can use flour at other times.

The Middle Eastern tone is part of this cake's appeal. A very nutty cake is suffused with a honey-citrus soaking syrup, much like baklava in concept but flour-free, making it suitable for Passover. A little goes a long way. For large Seder crowds, you can double the recipe and bake it in a 9-inch springform pan or a 9 by 13-inch rectangular pan. I serve this cake cut into small squares or diamonds placed in small muffin liner cups. Copeland Marks, in his book Sephardic Cooking, attributes this to Turkish cuisine. Joan Nathan calls it "Tishpishiti" in her book, Jewish Cooking in America and points to Syrian, as well as Turkish roots as does Claudia Roden in her book, Mediterranean Cookery. A nutty classic indeed! My version is inspired by a recipe simply called "Nut Cake," found in From My Grandmother's Kitchen, by Viviane Alcheck Miner with Linda Krinn. If you are interested in Sephardic recipes along with a very engaging family history, this book is a real find.

Vanilla bean and brandy accent the cake, and a few raspberries tint the peach topping a delicate pink.

This is a colorful variation on the classic potato latke.

Gefilte fish is one of those recipes where touch and taste are essential ingredients. A basic recipe goes this way:"You put in this and add that." If you don't want to taste the raw fish, add a bit more seasoning than you normally would. What makes this recipe Galicianer (southern Polish) is the addition of sugar. For some reason the farther south in Poland, the more sugar would be added. A Lithuanian Jew would never sweeten with sugar but might add beets to the stock. I have added ground carrot and parsnip to the fish, something that is done in the Ukraine, because I like the slightly sweet taste and rougher texture. If you want a darker broth, do not peel the onions and leave them whole.

If you like light, airy matzah balls, you'll like this recipe. It's my son David's favorite, especially when his grandmother makes the matzah balls.

This is an updated version of the chremslach passed down in my own family. I have never had a seder without it. A heavier version stuffed with cranberries appeared in many early American Jewish cookbooks as Kentucky grimslech.

Matzoh Balls Although matzoh balls were usually served in soup, we were always happy to have leftovers, cooked and kept in the refrigerator, then sliced and fried in butter the next morning for breakfast. The result is not unlike semolina gnocchi.

Gremolata, a mix of finely chopped lemon zest, parsley, and garlic, is an Italian topping classically served with osso buco. We added some basil to make it even livelier.

Most turkey breasts are sold with the bone and skin still attached. Another option is to ask your butcher to bone it for you — the weight of the turkey breast without the bone should be 4 to 5 pounds.

These get a lift from allspice, too.